Green group says feral pig plan a good start

The Conservation Council of Western Australia says the State Government has to increase spending on eradicating feral pigs from the south-west.

Feral pigs inhabit areas from Moore River to Denmark and are notorious for destroying habitats and spreading weeds and disease.

In a bid to stop them, the State Government has announced a $900,000 project to protect private property, national parks and reserves by baiting and trapping the animals.

The council's Nick Dunlop says the project is a good start.

"They probably need to do a lot more research to understand how the feral pigs are operating in various habitats in the south-west to come up with the most efficient formula," he said.

"I think it's very important to make a start and see how effective the control programs are but I think it's going to be an issue that's going to require continued investment over a long period of time to make any significant inroads."

The WA Farmers Federation has welcomed the initiative but agrees that it should be a forerunner to additional funding in the future.

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